Hey guys! Yes, this is the AWESOME chapter! Just for clarification's sake, this is all in third person-Bitter Rabbit's point of view. I know you're just as excited as I am, so let's get this show on the road! I have to warn you: I literally cried while writing this chapter. Twice.
Bitter Rabbit blinked slowly as Ciel wrapped his little arms tighter around his midsection.
"They're taking an awfully long time...what do you think they're doing, Bitter?" Bitter Rabbit blinked again, and Ciel's arms tightened once more.
"That's okay, though, they'll be back, 'cause they promised, and we always keep our promises, right Bitter?" Yes, the Bitter Rabbit had been taught by Ciel that you always keep your promises, but he was starting to doubt nonetheless. Ciel, his precious Ciel, his little Sapphire...in both body and behaviour, he was still a child, and he needed to be tended. It had been hours, and they still hadn't returned. Any minute now, Ciel would be-
"I'm hungry, Bitter." The Bitter Rabbit tilted his head to rest on Ciel's arm to provide comfort. The Bitter Rabbit was not just a stuffed animal, he was a demon trapped in a toy's body. He had been given to Ciel, and he knew from the moment the boy had locked eyes with him that he was to be the boy's familiar. He loved the boy, and everything about him. He was company for when Ciel was alone, comfort for when he was sad, and protection for when the angels under the bed came to get him. From the moment they met, the Bitter Rabbit had vowed to be everything Ciel wanted, but now, he wished he could be what the boy needed: food.
xxx A Few Days Later xxx
Bitter Rabbit was beginning to worry. Ciel had been wandering for days, having eventually given up on his parents' return and gone looking for food himself. Each wail his Sapphire let out pierced right through his black heart, and yet none were answered. No demons came to give him the souls he so desperately needed. They had been abandoned. With each passing hour, his little Sapphire lost it's glow, and the arms that held him securely to the boy's stomach were beginning to loosen, too weak to keep their grip.
xxx One Week Later xxx
If the Bitter Rabbit were capable of tears, they would be flowing freely down his fabric cheeks and staining the soft material of his body. Ciel's breathing was high and laboured, his wails cut short to conserve energy for the simple act of breathing, of keeping his small body moving. He was shaking, and he was beginning to moan from the agonizing hunger pains. He kept walking, in any direction, trying his best to keep up the calls for another member of his kind. He fell, tripping over his own feet in his exhaustion, but still he got up and continued searching. The Bitter Rabbit would be proud of his Sapphire's endurance were it not for the grim circumstances, and the now very real threat to his Sapphire's life. His Sapphire was his only reason for living. If he died...the Bitter Rabbit would have nothing, would be nothing.
xxx Two Weeks Later xxx
Ciel collapsed, and this time, he did not get up.
The Bitter Rabbit collided hard with the ground as Ciel unthinkingly dropped him in order to use his hands to break his fall. Once on the ground, though, he stayed there on his knees, panting for a few moments.
"Sorry, Bitter..." He said, picking up the Bitter Rabbit and gently brushing him off, looking into the deep blue glass he had for eyes. "You're not hurt, are you?" Bitter Rabbit once again leaned his head against Ciel's arm. There were a few long moments of silence before Ciel spoke quietly.
"Why didn't they come back for me, Bitter?" To that, Bitter Rabbit had no response.
"You always keep your promises, always. So why didn't they keep theirs? They promised they'd be back, so why aren't they here?" Another silence as Ciel used the last of his strength to tighten his grip on the Bitter Rabbit.
"Do they not love me anymore? Did they leave me because I wasn't a good boy? Why did they leave me here?" A pause, before the briefest of smiles adorned his dirt-covered face.
"You love me though, right, Bitter? You'll always love me, won't you?" The Bitter Rabbit nodded, and Ciel smiled again before nuzzling the top of Bitter's head.
Ciel's smile was precious, it was the only thing that mattered to the Bitter Rabbit, and now, he was beginning to fear that he may never see it again. That brief smile faded, however, as Ciel whispered, "It hurts, Bitter..."
xxx Later xxx
Ciel's breathing was become weak. His eyes were closing, and he was starting to sway. A short while later, he collapsed on his side, the Bitter Rabbit laying forgotten a short distance away. Ciel's eyes opened one last time, and they focused on his, like the first time they had met. Ciel...his precious Sapphire...those beautiful eyes were full of confusion and heartbreak as he reached for his rabbit, his one and only Bitter.
"I'm...cold...Bitter..." One last time, Ciel reached for his Bitter, his hand falling just short as he finally broke, and tears trailed down his perfect porcelain cheeks.
"B...Bitter..." Bitter closed the short distance, nuzzling Ciel's hand in a wasted effort to keep him warm as those shining sapphire orbs slid closed. Ciel went still, and there was silence. Bitter stopped nuzzling, knowing his touch couldn't be felt anymore.
Ciel...Ciel...his jewel, his precious Sapphire...The Bitter Rabbit's eyes changed then, from deep blue to blood red as he swore vengeance on the ones who had caused this. The suffering Ciel had been through, the pain, the wailing, the endless wandering, all caused by two people. They had abandoned him here in this wasteland to starve. They had abandoned him.
Tears had stained his Sapphire's perfect cheeks, and the Bitter Rabbit would not rest until they were dead. The ones who had done this would pay. The ones who had made his precious Sapphire cry.
The ones Ciel called "mama" and "papa"
xxx
As night fell, a strong wind whipped up the Bitter Rabbit, carrying him away from his motionless Sapphire. When it died down, the Bitter Rabbit found himself in a more populated area of Hell. Eventually, he was found by another demon.
"What's this?" The demon picked up the Bitter Rabbit and stared into his blood-red eyes. "This one belongs to a fledgling," He eventually concluded, and with that, he took the Bitter Rabbit and set off walking.
xxx
A palace now. The Lord of Hell, staring deep into his eyes, asking the Bitter Rabbit to recount his sad story. A special place in a special room, just for him, as Satan waited for news of the fledgling "Sapphire" to reach him.
xxx
A moment of hopelessness. No news, his Sapphire was likely long dead, and he was no closer to the execution of "mama" and "papa". In despair, the Bitter Rabbit's glass eyes lost the soul behind them, and though the Lord of Hell fought to keep him awake, he withdrew into himself and became just another stuffed rabbit.
xxx
Voices at the edge of his mind. Weak, his soul barely present after retreating into himself, but something had woken him when nothing could, and the Bitter Rabbit tried to focus on the voices. He heard his name being spoken, and then another voice, one that tore all thoughts of retreating into nothingness from him. A voice calling his name, one he had heard every day for years.
"Bitter? Bitter, where are you? Bitter!" Impossible, and yet...the door to his room burst open, and the sapphire eyes which locked onto his were unmistakeable.
"Bitter!"
Warmth, something he had not felt in a long time, radiated throughout his body as Ciel picked him up and held him tightly to his chest.
"I'm so glad to see you Bitter, I thought I had lost you." And I you... The Bitter Rabbit whispered into Ciel's mind, glass eyes changing back to their natural blue. His resolve for the lives of "mama" and "papa" remained unchanged, but Ciel could not be allowed to see him as anything other than his friend and protector. Ciel held him for what seemed like an eternity, happy just to have his rabbit back, and the Bitter Rabbit's soul reflected the happiness he felt. Finally, after all this time, a smile. Now that he was back, the Bitter Rabbit would make sure that Ciel never, ever cried again.
A slowly growing flapping sound disrupted their meeting, and the Bitter Rabbit heard an unfamiliar voice say, "Oh, who is that, Ciel?"
"You're back!" Ciel knew this demon, then. "Sebastian, this is Bitter, and Bitter, this is Sebastian. He's the one who found me and saved me!"
This man had saved his precious Sapphire from death, and put an end to the agonizing pain of hunger. Bitter Rabbit would be eternally grateful to this "Sebastian". He whispered into Ciel's mind, telling him of his gratitude, pleased when Ciel leaned his head in and listened intently, like he used to.
"What's that, Bitter?" Ciel directed one of his precious smiles at the one called "Sebastian."
"Bitter says thank you for saving me." The man smiled and leaned down.
"It was only natural. I saw a fledgling in need, and I did what I could. I'm glad it was me who was given the honour of caring for a child as wonderful as your Ciel is." Bitter nodded. The man seemed alright, at first glance. He whispered to Ciel's mind again, and Ciel listened.
"Mm-hmm, he's taking care of me. I even live with him now. Don't worry, Bitter, I promise he's really nice." Bitter remembered that Ciel had once referred to "mama" and "papa" as really nice, but he didn't share his thoughts, afraid of digging up bad memories. He would trust this "Sebastian", until he was given reason to doubt him. He was back where he belonged, by his Sapphire's side, and for now, the Bitter Rabbit was content.
Best. Chapter. EVER! I was especially fond of the "angels under the bed" part. I thought it would be a nice contrast, and it made for a touch of humor.